Flash Flooding and Fallen Trees Kill at Least 10 Over the Weekend

At least 10 people are dead after a powerful storm swept through parts of the Southeast on Saturday. Here is the latest on the tragic weekend severe weather outbreak.

Death Toll Up to 10 in Weekend Storm Outbreak

Nine people have been confirmed dead in Kentucky with another fatality reported in Georgia at the hands of severe weather on Saturday. The storm unleashed a torrent of rain that triggered flash flooding across the already water-logged region.

Kentucky Gov. Gov. Andy Beshear said on Sunday that search and rescue crews have performed over 1,000 rescues over the last 24 hours. The weather maker brought down trees and power lines and sent water flooding over roadways and into homes across parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia.

Beshear said that the weather event was "massive," "historic," and " dangerous." The governor was pleading with residents to avoid travel as many of the deaths have happened on the roadways. At least one child died as a result of the storm. Beshear also cautioned that the death toll is likely to rise as search crews continue to work.

Beshear took pre-emptive action on Friday when he declared a state of emergency for the state. President Donald Trump also approved a federal disaster declaration, freeing up federal aid and resources to flow into the affected areas.

Local officials are cautioning that the severe impacts will linger into the days ahead as flooding develops along rivers and streams. Because flooding is a slow-moving event, the impacts often take longer to be realized.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is also warning that the cold temperatures in place means that water readings are also dangerously chilly. It will not take long for hypothermia to develop in people caught up in floodwaters.

At least 10 million Americans will remain under a winter storm warning through Monday morning as the system moves into the Northeast and New England. While the majority of the precipitation will dissipate by the start of the work week, lake-effect snow could snarl traffic across the Great Lakes on Monday.

Weekend Rainfall a Continuation of Soggy Weather Pattern

It has been a soggy week for much of the south-central U.S., the Gulf Coast, and the Southeast. Rainfall amounts between 3 and 5 inches of rain have been recorded throughout a large portion of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. Isolated pockets have seen rainfall in excess of 6 inches over the last few days.

Flood watches will remain in effect into Monday for parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. The storm also knocked out power to thousands of people in the region. The most outages were reported in Georgia with at least 265,000 customers in the dark during the peak of the activity. Outages were also reported in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama.

The town of Tuscumbia, Alabama was hit by a particularly powerful storm cell on Saturday. One of the middle schools in the town lost its roof due to the high winds. A team from the Red Cross was sent to the battered region to assist in the humanitarian efforts.

Forecasters have been warning for days about the possibility of flooding and severe weather. A rare level 4 threat of flooding rainfall had been issued by the Weather Prediction Center for over 1.5 million residents in the northwestern corner of Tennessee and into western Kentucky. To put that alert into context, this magnitude of warning is only issued fewer than 4% of all days of the year. However, these events account for over 80% of all damage related to flooding and about 40% of all fatalities.

Meteorologists had issued this high level of threat due to various elements presenting in the atmosphere that were not typical for the middle of February. The forecast rightfully predicted that heavy bands of rain would set up over specific areas and not ease. This is the same part of the country that has been inundated with mass amounts of rain and snow in recent weeks, making the ground more vulnerable to flooding concerns.

In addition to the primary impact zone under a level 4 threat, a wider area from eastern Arkansas to West Virginia was under a level 3 risk. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey took action by declaring a state of emergency in 10 counties along with a state of preparedness for all 55 counties on Saturday. Meanwhile, Virginia called in the National Guard to assist with the recovery.

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